Organic molding composition



Patented Apr. 30, 1929.

UNITED sT Es PATENT OFFICE.

SIDNEY MARION HULL, OF WESTERN SPRINGS, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO WESTERN" ELECTRIC COMPANY, INCORPORATED, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

ORGANIC MOLDING COMPOSITION.

' lbl'o Drawing. Original application filed June 13, 1924, Serial No. 719,742. Divided and this application filed January 29, 1926. Serial No. 84,784.

This invention relates to organic molding compositions and is a division of my copending application, Serial N 0. 719,742, filed I June 13, 1924, Patent N 0. 1,648,179, Nov. 8, a 1927.

in my copending application referred to above, reference is made to the production of improved condensation product by com bining casein and furfural and subjecting lo the mixture to heat and pressure to affect a ir aondensation thereof.

The object of the present invention is to produce a moldin composition utilizing the condensation pro not of a protein and a sub tit stantially anhydrous aldehyde.

The invention consists in mixing together the required amounts of protein and aldehyde, such as casein and furfural, andthen subjecting them to heat and pressure to cause more rapid condensation. A filler may be anilded to the casein before mixing and the compound may be further waterproofed by incorporating therewith another material which is Water resistant per se or in combination with the compound. This water resistant material is added preferably by dissolving it in the furfural before the admixture of the furfural and casein.

h ther objects and features of the invention Will appear from the following description and "will be particularly pointed out in the apt ended claims.

i ccording to the preferred form'of the in- "mention casein or other proteids, such as glue at or gelatine in a dr state, are ground to a fine powder and mixe with the required amount oit inriural tobring about complete condensation. In forming this preliminary mixture casein and furfural, there is a great deal at latitude, but a proportion which has given results is parts of casein to one part bit :turfural. By varying the amount of fur- :turai used the properties of the final product may be changed and to a certain degree controllled. The ideal condition to obtain optimum properties is to employ proportions of casein and furfural so that after condensatlon tree furfural or casein will be present. In W general the use of a less amount of furfural W gives a softer final product.

When the casein-and furfural are. mixed together they present the appearance of a moistened mass. This mass may be molded into shape under pressure and while in the press, heat being applied for various lengths of time depending .upon the nature of the specific'product desired. In general the temperature should be between 175? F. and 225 1*. and the pressure should also be consistent with the density required in the final product. he duration of heating may be from 10 minutes to an hour. The material so produced is a hard resilient plastic mass, resemblin bakelite, redmanol and similar materials, an

. a conchoidal glassy fracture is'shown when it is broken.

When casein is. mixed with furfuralthe condensation takes place slowly so that sufiicient time exists for the satisfactory commer- I cial handling of the material. For instance, a mixture of furfural and casein may be allowed to stand at room temperatures for three or four days before any noticeable hardening results.

'lhe'product of the condensation of furfural and casein when produced under heat and pressure is in general considerabl more waterproof than other protein-aldehy 0 compounds. Howey er, in order to increase the resistance tomoisture of this product, advantage may be taken of the solvent properties of furfural for a Wide variety of materials. For instance, a rosin-glycerol ester may be dissolved in the furfural in the proportion of one to one, and this solution used for the condensation with casein. Using a gum in this form it is spread uniformly throughout the entire mass and renders the plastic quite resistant to moisture. Other materials such as cellulose-esters; yarious gums and resins, either natural or synthetic; bituminous materials; tung oil and other polymerizable oils with or without being previously heat treated; waxes and the like may be incorporated in the same manner. Other solvents than furfural may be used for dissolving and distribother solvents are used it is preferable that they be inert, organic, volatile and miscible in all proportions with furfural. Such solvents may be acetone, benzene and its homologues, or other well-knonn organic solvents.

In forming a compound of the type described, inert fillers may be incorporated for the purpose of reducing the cost of the product and otherwise changing its properties. A satisfactory manner o introducing the fillers into the compound is to grind them tory manner,

might require the furfural and casein might be mixed first and the mixture kneaded with the filler so as to obtain an even distribution throughout. Inert materials which may be used satisfactorily in this connection may be slate dust, magnesia, infusorial earth, wood flour, asbestos fibre, mica dust and other similar materials.

As an example of the foregoing, a composition which would incorporate the main features of the invention as described above,

may be produced in the following manner: 50 parts of finely ground casein are thoroughi ly mixed with 40 parts of finely ground slate dust and'the whole intimately mixed with 5 parts of furfural in which has been previously, dissolved an equal weight, (5 parts).

of a rosin-glycerol ester. The resultant moist plastic mass then. molded under 2500 pounds pressure per square inch with simultaneous application of heat at 212 F. for

I about minutes. The material so formed is a hard, dense substance, resembling natural slate in appearance, but lighter in weight, possessing considerable resiliency and a fair degree of mechanical strength.

The particular features of importance in i the invention are that the molding time is much shorter than for other protein-aldehyde compounds, and articles can bemolded to form, therebeing practically no shrinkageor distortion. The manufacture of molded articles from, for instance, casein and formall y is the only water present, and this is very dehyde requires sometimes as much as a months time and then additional time is re quired for drying. Articles can be molded in the manner and from the materials disclosed herein in two hours; and since the water evolved during the chemical reaction small, no time is needed for drying. The material formed from the condensation of casein with furfural on account of its comparatively slight hygroscopicity may be employed as an electrical insulator, or for fabricating articles which are preferably resistant to the passage of electricity. In general the material may be employed to fashion articles which are usually made of bone, horn, ivory, celluloid or the like.

The term substantially anhydrous in the foregoing description and in the appended claims is used to designate a substance which is not strictly anhydrous in the physical chemical sense of the word but which may contain water only as an impurity and not as a diluent;-

What is claimed is:

1. A method of producing a plastic compound which consists in combining a protein in the dry state, substantially anhydrous furfural, and a waterproofing agent, and then bringing about acondensation of the protein and furfural.

2. A method of producing a plastic compound which consists in combining substantially dry casein, substantially anhydrous furfural, and a waterproofing agent, and then bringing about a condensation of the casein and furfural.

3. A method of producing a plastic compound which consists in dissolving a waterproofing agent with substantially anhydrous furfural, and then condensing a protein in the dry state with the resulting furfural solution.

4. A method of producing a plastic compound which consists in. dissolving a waterproofing agent in furfural, and then condensing casein with the resulting furfuraldensing said casein with substantially anhydrous furfural.

7. A method of producing a plastic compound which consists in mixing an inert filler with a protein, dissolvin a waterproofin agent in substantially an ydrous furfura then combining the resulting mixture and the resulting solution, and bringing about a condensation of the protein with the substantially anhydrous aldehyde.

8. A method of producing a plastic compound which consists in combining an inert material, a proteinin the dry state, substantially anhydrous furfural and a waterproofing agent, and then bringing about a condensation of the protein with the furfural.

9. As a new composition of matter, a plastic compound formed by the admixture of a protein in the dry state, substantially anhydrous furfural, and a waterproofing agent.

10. As a new composition of matter, a plastic compound comprising a condensation of substantially dry casein with substantially anhydrous furfural, and a waterproofing agent. I

11. As a new composition of matter, a plastic'compound formed by the admixture of a protein in the dry state, substantially anhydrous furfural and an inert filler.

12. As a new composition of matter, a plastic compound formed by the admixture of substantially dry casein, substantially an- 14. As a new composition of matter, a plastic compound formed by the admixture of substantially dry casein, substantially anhydrous furfural, an inert filler, and a waterproofing agent.

15. A method of producing a plastic compound, which consists in dlSSOlVlIlg a rosinglycerol ester in furfural, and then condensing casein with the resulting solution.

l6.vA method of producing a plastic compound, which consists in mixing an inert filler with casein, dissolvin a waterproofing agent in furfural, then combining the resultin mixture and the resulting solution, and bringing about a condensation of the casein with the furfui'al.

17 A method of producing a plastic compound, which consists in mixing slate dust with casein,'dissolving a rosin-glycerol ester in furfural, then combining the resulting mixture and the resulting solution, and bring about 10 parts of dry casein, about 1 part of substantially anhydrous furfural, and about 1 part of a rosin-glycerol ester.-

19. As a new composition of matter, a

plastic compound formed by the admixture of casein, furfural, slate dust, and a rosinglycerol ester.

20. As a new composition of matter, a plastic compound composed of 50 parts of casein,

parts of slate dust, 5 parts of substantially anhydrous furfural, and 5 parts of a rosingl cerol ester.

n witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this 20th day of January, A. D. 1926.

SIDNEY MARION HULL. 

